would an amp benefit me? - Blu-ray Forum

rayray8 · 09-19-2009, 01:21 AM

i currently have a new yamaha rx-v665 receiver running my 5.1 setup, my fronts are polk audio tsi400's. right now they are biamped to the receiver. i have no complaints with the audio during blu ray watching but i am not very happy with music only. i dont really care to use my sub during music because it sounds too boomy. would a separate amp on my 400's open them up or should i be looking for better speakers and an amp. i doubt my receiver is pushing them to their full potential. any help would be great.

Johnny Vinyl · 09-19-2009, 01:25 AM

With all due respect to the many satisfied Polk owners here, I'd say have a serious look at some new speakers if music is important to you.

John

crazyBLUE · 09-19-2009, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

With all due respect to the many satisfied Polk owners here, I'd say have a serious look at some new speakers if music is important to you.

John

If you want to add an amp for clear & cleaner sounding MUSIC , John is right ! I have 4 TSi-300s & they are good speakers ! But there are better to enjoy you're music !

rayray8 · 09-19-2009, 01:44 AM

any suggestions for new floor speakers, around $800-900 pair, i like a more neutral sound, not bright. would you guys still recommend an amp though?

Big Daddy · 09-19-2009, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayray8

any suggestions for new floor speakers, around $800-900 pair, i like a more neutral sound, not bright. would you guys still recommend an amp though?

Buy a pair of PSB Image T65 for $719 a pair. The normal price is $1,200 a pair.

https://dmc-electronics.com/Default.htm

PSB speakers are excellent and highly rated. They are designed by the most well-known Canadian speaker designer, Paul Barton.

If you go further down in the link, you will see the non-blemished version of the same speakers for $800. Don't worry about what they say. I bought a pair of PSB Image S50 surround speakers in unopened factory packaged box with blemishes. I inspected the speakers very carefully and couldn't find any blemishes. I saved myself $200. PSB has very high standards.

Yes, an amplifier will improve the sound and is a better alternative than a receiver.

rayray8 · 09-19-2009, 06:25 PM

im kinda interested in energy and paradigm towers now. i got a local dealer where im gonna have to go and listen. how would you describe the sound from each compared to the polks i have? and does anyone have an opinion on amps, adcom,rotel,or emotiva?

Johnny Vinyl · 09-19-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayray8

im kinda interested in energy and paradigm towers now. i got a local dealer where im gonna have to go and listen. how would you describe the sound from each compared to the polks i have? and does anyone have an opinion on amps, adcom,rotel,or emotiva?

Can you give us an idea of how much you had in mind to spend on speakers (and is that for 2.0, 2.1, 5.1), and also for the amp? Did you want a 2-channel amp or 3 or 5?
John

rayray8 · 09-19-2009, 06:37 PM

im looking at around $1000 for towers only, and a decent 2 channel amp between $200-$400 new or used.

Johnny Vinyl · 09-19-2009, 06:48 PM

First off, I think Big Daddy's recommendation about the PSB's is an excellent one. They are world-class speakers by one of the most pre-emminant speaker designers in the world.

I was perhaps a bit unclear in my last post, because I also should have asked how important music is to you, and the kind of music you like. Some speakers pair better with hard rock or metal and others do better with acoustic sounds, voices, etc.

Can we get a bit more detail or specifics?

John

Steve · 09-19-2009, 07:18 PM

I'm also curious what sub you're using since you find it too boomy for music.

rayray8 · 09-19-2009, 07:22 PM

i listen to mostly older rock and 80's, some r&b and jazz. and my sub, which will be upgraded down the road, is an mtx 12'', cant recall the model #, i stuffed it with polyfill and made a 4'' riser which helped but it is not musical at all. it works pretty well for ht use though!

Johnny Vinyl · 09-19-2009, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayray8

i listen to mostly older rock and 80's, some r&b and jazz. and my sub, which will be upgraded down the road, is an mtx 12'', cant recall the model #, i stuffed it with polyfill and made a 4'' riser which helped but it is not musical at all. it works pretty well for ht use though!

I'm in Canada, so I'm not up on U.S pricing, but does the money you have allocated get you into the Energy Reference Connaisseur series? If it does, I'd say have a serious look at them....

I'm not familiar with Paradigm as I've never heard them, but they have a good rep. Maybe some B&W's?

John

Johnny Vinyl · 09-19-2009, 07:30 PM

Check out some Swan's as well! Great looking and highly recommended by many! There's thread on them in the speaker forum.

John

rayray8 · 09-21-2009, 12:28 PM

well i played around with some settings and moved my sub around and things are sounding better. i ordered a new emotiva amp also which should be here in a few days. once i get it all together this week i will see if it all works out for me. i'll have to post some pics once i get it done

rayray8 · 09-25-2009, 03:59 PM

well i got my new emotiva upa-2 and got it connected to my tsi400's! pretty big difference in all aspects! sounds much better, the highs are more detailed and i can actually listen longer without fatigue, the lows are there now which i was lacking with just the receiver. the imaging is also better. my only quetion is why do i have to turn my receiver up more to get the same output i did when they were connected to the receiver?

rded · 09-25-2009, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayray8

well i got my new emotiva upa-2 and got it connected to my tsi400's! pretty big difference in all aspects! sounds much better, the highs are more detailed and i can actually listen longer without fatigue, the lows are there now which i was lacking with just the receiver. the imaging is also better. my only quetion is why do i have to turn my receiver up more to get the same output i did when they were connected to the receiver?

How did you know its the same output? Did you test with an SPL meter if the dbs are the same with/without the amps regarless of what the receiver display says?
What is the make and model of your interconnects? My only guess is that there might be some impedance/resisitance with your interconnects but I could be wrong. Besides, and I quote you: " it sounds better" with the amp; then why worry about it?

KCLARK · 10-05-2009, 12:55 PM

you should've gotten a marantz 6003 receiver then you wouldnt even be having the thought of getting an external amp. that 665 is in left field in terms of music play and is more focused for ht and is actually excellent for it, just isnt as good at doing double duty like the marantz's.

prerich · 10-05-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayray8

i currently have a new yamaha rx-v665 receiver running my 5.1 setup, my fronts are polk audio tsi400's. right now they are biamped to the receiver. i have no complaints with the audio during blu ray watching but i am not very happy with music only. i dont really care to use my sub during music because it sounds too boomy. would a separate amp on my 400's open them up or should i be looking for better speakers and an amp. i doubt my receiver is pushing them to their full potential. any help would be great.

First - use your pure direct mode - this will disable the subwoofer in playback. I use a 663 as a preamp - I would never consider it for main operation unless it was an emergency. An outboard amp would definately help - as would better speakers - it all depends on your budget.

I have a DBX-BX3 in excellent condition that I may consider selling (not sure right now - it's one of my big time spare amps, 4/3/2 channel power amp - in 2 channel bridged mode it puts out 400w per channel and 600w of dynamic power at 8ohms/900w at 4ohms here's a link to the manual http://www.dbxpro.com/product_downlo...s%20Manual.pdf ). There are many new power amps that will fit your needs also. Emotiva and Outlaw are the biggest price vs performance amps out there. Outlaw has a sale on their mono 200w models -$329 for each one.

Never mind - I see you bought the Emotiva

rayray8 · 10-13-2009, 08:13 PM

well i been out speaker shopping for a new front soundstage to replace my polks and to compliment my new emotiva amp. after spending 3 hours at the store on sunday i came home with an awesome set of speakers! i listened to everything they had in the store under $1500 a pair. the whole paradigm monitor line,the studio 20's, definitive techs, and some klipsch. my choice was pretty easy for the sound i was looking for. i ended up with the focal 716v's and the cc700v center channel. i had my polk tsi400's with me in the car and had them hook em up to compare and i nearly fell out of the chair from laughter at the difference between the focals! i now enjoy 2 channel music for once!

aramis109 · 10-13-2009, 08:20 PM

Would love to see some pics of your new speakers!

09-19-2009, 01:21 AM	#1
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	would an amp benefit me? i currently have a new yamaha rx-v665 receiver running my 5.1 setup, my fronts are polk audio tsi400's. right now they are biamped to the receiver. i have no complaints with the audio during blu ray watching but i am not very happy with music only. i dont really care to use my sub during music because it sounds too boomy. would a separate amp on my 400's open them up or should i be looking for better speakers and an amp. i doubt my receiver is pushing them to their full potential. any help would be great.

10-05-2009, 12:55 PM	#17
KCLARK Member Member since:Jun 2008	you should've gotten a marantz 6003 receiver then you wouldnt even be having the thought of getting an external amp. that 665 is in left field in terms of music play and is more focused for ht and is actually excellent for it, just isnt as good at doing double duty like the marantz's. Last edited by KCLARK; 10-05-2009 at 12:59 PM.

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09-19-2009, 01:25 AM	#2
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	With all due respect to the many satisfied Polk owners here, I'd say have a serious look at some new speakers if music is important to you. John

09-19-2009, 01:44 AM	#4
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	any suggestions for new floor speakers, around $800-900 pair, i like a more neutral sound, not bright. would you guys still recommend an amp though?

09-19-2009, 06:25 PM	#6
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	im kinda interested in energy and paradigm towers now. i got a local dealer where im gonna have to go and listen. how would you describe the sound from each compared to the polks i have? and does anyone have an opinion on amps, adcom,rotel,or emotiva?

09-19-2009, 06:37 PM	#8
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	im looking at around $1000 for towers only, and a decent 2 channel amp between $200-$400 new or used.

09-19-2009, 06:48 PM	#9
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	First off, I think Big Daddy's recommendation about the PSB's is an excellent one. They are world-class speakers by one of the most pre-emminant speaker designers in the world. I was perhaps a bit unclear in my last post, because I also should have asked how important music is to you, and the kind of music you like. Some speakers pair better with hard rock or metal and others do better with acoustic sounds, voices, etc. Can we get a bit more detail or specifics? John

09-19-2009, 07:18 PM	#10
Steve Blu-ray Knight Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Location:Anna, TX 4K collection:128 Blu-ray collection:416 Trading Score:41	I'm also curious what sub you're using since you find it too boomy for music.

09-19-2009, 07:22 PM	#11
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	i listen to mostly older rock and 80's, some r&b and jazz. and my sub, which will be upgraded down the road, is an mtx 12'', cant recall the model #, i stuffed it with polyfill and made a 4'' riser which helped but it is not musical at all. it works pretty well for ht use though!

09-19-2009, 07:30 PM	#13
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	Check out some Swan's as well! Great looking and highly recommended by many! There's thread on them in the speaker forum. John

09-21-2009, 12:28 PM	#14
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	well i played around with some settings and moved my sub around and things are sounding better. i ordered a new emotiva amp also which should be here in a few days. once i get it all together this week i will see if it all works out for me. i'll have to post some pics once i get it done

09-25-2009, 03:59 PM	#15
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	well i got my new emotiva upa-2 and got it connected to my tsi400's! pretty big difference in all aspects! sounds much better, the highs are more detailed and i can actually listen longer without fatigue, the lows are there now which i was lacking with just the receiver. the imaging is also better. my only quetion is why do i have to turn my receiver up more to get the same output i did when they were connected to the receiver?

10-13-2009, 08:13 PM	#19
rayray8 Banned Member since:Jul 2009 Location:ohio	well i been out speaker shopping for a new front soundstage to replace my polks and to compliment my new emotiva amp. after spending 3 hours at the store on sunday i came home with an awesome set of speakers! i listened to everything they had in the store under $1500 a pair. the whole paradigm monitor line,the studio 20's, definitive techs, and some klipsch. my choice was pretty easy for the sound i was looking for. i ended up with the focal 716v's and the cc700v center channel. i had my polk tsi400's with me in the car and had them hook em up to compare and i nearly fell out of the chair from laughter at the difference between the focals! i now enjoy 2 channel music for once!

10-13-2009, 08:20 PM	#20
aramis109 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Milwaukee, WI Home Theater Gallery:10 4K collection:4 Blu-ray collection:360 Trading Score:18	Would love to see some pics of your new speakers!

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